“If aliens do come here, they will be calling all the shots” (Image: Seth Shostak/SETI Institute)
SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, has been going on for 50 years. What fraction of the universe has been searched so far?
I think a pretty accurate comparison is to consider the searchable space as being like the oceans of the Earth. We have scooped one 8-ounce glass out of the ocean, stared at it and said, is there a fish there? Well, gee, no fish? Does this mean there are no fish in the ocean, or does that mean we haven’t sampled…
